Dry spell on the horizon for West after early week bout of rain, snow

Following rain and snow in the Northwest on Sunday, another storm will take aim at California and the Southwest from Monday into Tuesday.

While showers and mountain snow are not anticipated to be as heavy as last week, enough rain and snow may fall to cause travel disruptions and slick roadways.

A few inches of snow will be enough to blanket Interstate 80 near Donner Pass, California, and cause slippery conditions for motorists.

Showers will again reach Southern California on Sunday night and continue into Monday night, with steadier and heavier rain expected to target the San Diego area.

“Although the rain will provide more drought relief to areas in Southern California still struggling from moderate to severe drought, the rain can be heavy enough in and around San Diego to cause some flooding concerns and travel delays on Monday afternoon and evening,” according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Michael Doll.

Below-average temperatures will accompany the storm system.

By Monday night and Tuesday, a few showers will target Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, while upwards of a foot of snow buries the mountains of northern Arizona, including the city of Flagstaff.

The snow may be heavy and wet enough to cause sporadic outages and bring down power lines near Flagstaff.

Once this storm exits the West, an extended stretch of dry and mild weather is expected across California.

“After flooding, mudslides and rockslides ravaged parts of California during the past two months, the pattern change will provide Californians with a break from the rain from the middle of this week through at least the weekend,” Doll said.

The upcoming spell of tranquil weather will allow restoration efforts on damaged homes, bridges, roadways and dams to move forward.